Ivy Gourd can be distinguished by its five-point, palm-shaped leaves. White, star-shaped flowers distinguish this weed from other vines. These white flowers give way to small, green, pickle-sized fruits which eventually turn scarlet in color. The fruit is edible and resembles sweet-and-sour cucumber with fresh flavor. Best eaten when fruit are not quite ripe (green).

Ivy Gourd, Scarlet Gourd, Tindora. Ivy Gourd can be distinguished by its five-point, palm-shaped leaves. White, star-shaped flowers distinguish this weed from other vines. These white flowers give way to small, green, pickle-sized fruits which eventually turn scarlet in color. The fruit is edible and resembles sweet-and-sour cucumber with fresh flavor. Best eaten when fruit are not quite ripe (green).

It is a vining annual that can be grown practically anywhere, provided a warm season. Bright orange, ovaloid fruit with numerous prominent spines. Flesh is bright green, watery, and with a slight sweetness. Plants can produce up to 100 fruits on a single vine. Provide support for the tendrils to grab. Grow much like pumpkins or watermelons, in full sun, provide regular water.

Fruit eaten raw. Cut open the ripe fruit and sprinkle with sugar, which enhances the flavor considerably. The seeds are edible.

The leaves are 4-5 inches wide and divided into several lobes. It produces a pale green, semi-flattened fruit resembling a cucumber that is 4-6 inches long and 2-3 inches wide.

The immature fruits may be eaten raw or pickled. The young shoots and leaves may also be eaten as greens. The mature fruit are also prepared as stuffed peppers; stuffed with meat, fish or cheese and then baked - earning it's name "Stuffing Cucumber."